Monday, October 17, 2016

In Memorium

(2005) ***

Two months after being diagnosed with terminal bone cancer Dennis Wade maxes out his credit cards and purchases motion sensor cameras to install in a house he sublet with his girlfriend, Lily, to document his final days. Dennis is an aspiring filmmaker and he has prepaid an editor to make a documentary about his demise after he expires. Occasionally his brother Frank drops in to catch up. One day, while reviewing footage, Dennis finds that his cameras have captured something seemingly sinister. The longer they remain in the house the sicker Lily becomes however when they attempt to leave Dennis’ cancer progresses at a rapid rate.

Released at the same time as the original Paranormal Activity “in Memorium” was overlooked despite being a slightly better film. Similar in tone and execution to Paranormal Activity, In Memorium has better characters that are more relatable and a more interesting premise. However, more than a decade has passed since its release and the “found footage” genre has worn out its welcome (see also: Vengeful ghosts, torture porn, vampires…)